Pyramids of Giza

Tickets and tours: all the options

The general ticket covers the plateau: the outside of the three pyramids, the Sphinx, the valley temple and the cemeteries. Going inside the Great Pyramid needs a separate and much dearer ticket, and the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and some tombs have their own smaller fees. Tickets are sold on the official Egyptian ticket website and at the gates, which take bank cards only, not cash.

GetYourGuide sells many kinds of visit. Half-day guided tours with hotel pick-up from Cairo or Giza are the commonest, private or in a small group, and often add Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur for a full day, or the Grand Egyptian Museum nearby. Check whether entry tickets and the interior visit are included: many cheap tours leave them out, and some stop at perfume or papyrus shops. Other options include camel or horse rides at sunrise or sunset, quad bikes in the desert, breakfast or lunch with a view, the evening sound and light show and long day trips by air or road from Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.

For a first visit the best choice is a private guide with a car for a morning, which keeps you moving across a large site and away from the touts.

A short history

The three pyramids were built for three kings of the Fourth Dynasty, Khufu, his son Khafre and Menkaure, between about 2600 and 2500 BC. Each stood within a complex of temples, causeways and smaller pyramids, and teams of paid workers lived in a town south of the plateau, whose remains have been excavated. The tombs were robbed in antiquity, and in the Middle Ages much of the white limestone casing was stripped to build Cairo. Modern surveys began with Napoleon's scholars in 1798, followed by Petrie in the 1880s and Reisner's long American excavations. The plateau is part of the UNESCO site of Memphis and its Necropolis, listed in 1979.

Getting there

The plateau is about 13 km south-west of central Cairo, 45 minutes to an hour by car depending on traffic. Ride-hailing apps and metered taxis are the simplest option. The Cairo Metro reaches Giza station on line 2, but the remaining 9 km still need a taxi. The main visitor entrance is on the desert side off the Fayoum road, near the Grand Egyptian Museum, where electric buses run between the sights; the Sphinx gate opens on to the village of Nazlet el-Samman. Sphinx International Airport is about 20 minutes away and Cairo International Airport about an hour. Private cars can no longer drive around the plateau.

Rules and what to bring

Climbing the pyramids is forbidden and fined. Photography is not allowed inside the Great Pyramid, and drones are banned. Touts selling rides, souvenirs and photographs are persistent; a firm no is enough, and agree any price before mounting a camel or horse. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen, since there is no shade, and wear closed shoes. Toilets and cafés are at the new visitor centre, and restaurants with a view are near the Sphinx gate.

When to go

Arrive at opening, before the coaches from Cairo hotels and cruise ships from Alexandria arrive from about 9.30 am. Visit the Great Pyramid interior first, while it is cooler and the line is short. The late afternoon is also good, with warm light on the stone and fewer groups, but the site closes around 4 pm, so do not leave it too late.

October to April is the best season, with daytime temperatures from the low 20s to around 30 degrees. From May to September the plateau can pass 40 degrees by midday, and dust storms called khamsin may blow in spring. Winter holidays, Christmas, New Year and the Egyptian school holidays in January and February bring the largest crowds. During Ramadan hours may be shortened. The sound and light show runs most evenings. Allow three to four hours for the plateau and a full day with Saqqara.